Chimay Blue

I have been told by dozens that the Chimay Blue is the best of the Chimay beers. After drinking a Chimay Red, I was skeptical that there would be a better beer out there. So with much anticipation, I open this bottle and pour its contents into a wide mouth Guinness pint glass. I hope it lives up to the high praise and my even higher expectations.

It has an unbelievably smooth flavor upon first taste. It is by far the smoothest beer I’ve ever had. The dark rich amber color of the beer is a feast for the eyes. With each draught that I imbibe, I am fully satisfied and yet, look forward ever more so to the next. It has an incredibly unique character that sets it apart from all other beers. There is no aftertaste, it is just a continuation of the flavor that glides across your taste buds from the first moment you drink it. Already I have decided I want one of these beers for my birthday every year henceforth. This beer is so good it almost has me at a loss for words.

To put it as an understatement, my expectations were exceeded. You are pulled in two directions on how to drink this beer. Part of you wants to drink it quickly so as to enjoy it more and more, but the sage part of you realizes that it is best to slowly sip and savor the full body and singular quality of this brew. My taste buds will never be the same. All other beers will be compared to this one and be found lacking.

I look at the clock and I’m shocked at how much time has passed since I took my first sip. I don’t care if it appears that I’m over hyping this beer. It is well worth the high end price. In fact it is a bargain at retail price. This beer is one of the few things that make you pause and contemplate the extraordinary marvel of life. This beer makes me feel alive and at peace, grateful and optimistic. It’s a reminder that there are things in the world you have yet to try, that there are wonders to experience, things you currently know nothing about, and then one day by chance you take a leap and discover a new pleasure, a new gift of existence. The best part is while a few sips are enough to merit all of this testimony, with an 11.2 oz bottle you have enough to provide close to an hour’s worth of transporting flavor and glowing good feeling, as you savor its contents.

This is a beer to buy for a dear friend with whom you’ve been through thick and thin. Better yet, the 750ml bottle would be perfect to split with said friend. I wouldn’t recommend this for a 21 year old, as they won’t be able to fully appreciate it; although who am I, at 31, to say that I fully appreciate this magnificent beer.

With a hint of sorrow, I take my last sip of this Chimay blue. The sorrow is tempered with the knowledge that in a brief eight months I will enjoy some more, on the date of my birth. Well done Trappistes, well done.

3 thoughts on “Chimay Blue”

Beautiful post. I’m a huge fan of the bleu, which converted me to Chimay at the first taste. Every time I enjoy a bottle, I say a little prayer for the Trappist Brothers who produce this delightful elixir.